


lie with me

by 100demons



Category: Elementary (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:59:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100demons/pseuds/100demons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the back of the South stairs, beyond the pot dealers and the kids crashing from Adderall, beyond the cloud of smoke and anxiety, Joan found a wall of books and wires, forming an impenetrable fortress. </p><p>Joan Watson enlists the help of school outcast Sherlock Holmes. (HS!AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	lie with me

In the back of the South stairs, beyond the pot dealers and the kids crashing from Adderall, beyond the cloud of smoke and anxiety, Joan found a wall of books and wires, forming an impenetrable fortress.  
  
“Sherlock Holmes,” she said, digging deep in her pockets for the roll of money she stole from the cookie jar this morning, hands trembling, heart in her throat, her mother about to walk in at any moment. “I need your help.”  
  
“Go away,” came a voice from behind the wall, high and reedy. “I’m not interested.”  
  
“I came because they said you could help. That you knew what to do and you’d help people out,” Joan said, her voice cracking a little at the end.  
  
“Who said?” the voice asked suspiciously. “This isn’t one of your stupid pranks, is it?”  
  
“What? No-- no-- look, just let me talk to you--it’s important--” Joan stopped and sighed angrily. “No, you know what, it’s not worth it. I shouldn’t have listened to Carrie--”  
  
“Carrie Dwyer, sophomore, wanted to know whether Dan McCaw on the lacrosse team and I quote ‘liked’ her or ‘like liked’ her,” the voice said, a little contemptuous. “Easily solved, considering Dan keeps an online blog that he doesn’t even password protect.”  
  
“How-- did Carrie really--” Joan shook her head. “Look, I’m here-- for me. I need you-- to-- I need to know for sure if--if-- if Tyischeatingonme.”  
  
“For sure?”  
  
“For _sure_ ,” Joan said a little more firmly. “I mean like emails, texts, phone calls, everything. So that I can shove the evidence down his throat and kick his ass in front of the school.”  
  
A head popped up over the wall, hair sticking up everywhere, dark circles under pale blue eyes. There was the barest hint of hair on his chin-- scruffy, nerdy-looking and definitely not what she was expecting. “I rather like the sound of that,” he pronounced, scratching his chin. “Ty Morstan could stand to be put down a few pegs or so. Meet me here tomorrow for lunch.”  
  
“That’s-- that’s it?” Joan fingered the roll in her pocket.  
  
“No,” Sherlock said flatly. “It never is."   
  


\---

Her brown bagged lunch was sitting in front of her, looking forlorn and uneaten. Janie had packed a bacon and egg salad sandwich and it looked so good, just sitting there, waiting to be--  
  
“What first tipped you off?” Sherlock asked, face uncomfortably close to hers, pencil tapping on his notepad.  
  
“Um-- I don’t know-- I just-- that day after the game against Beacon, we were supposed to go for victory burgers but he cancelled on me and I just-- that feeling I got. Cause he’d never done anything like that without having a real excuse and this time he said he was just tired and didn’t feel like eating, which is _bullshit_ because he always loves eating. Then that time we went to Brent’s house and all he did was talk to everyone else but me and sometimes I catch him texting someone and then he puts his phone away really fast when he sees me--” Joan paused to breathe and when she brushed her hair back from her face, it was uncomfortably hot. “I just-- he’s-- it’s not-- it’s not _fair_ ,” Joan bit off, hands tightening into fists.  
  
“Hm,” Sherlock said contemplatively. “Yes, first instincts do tend to be right. We already know that’s it’s probable that Morstan is seeing another girl-- the question is a matter of proof.”  
  
Joan tore open a carton of milk she picked up from the cafeteria and stuck a straw through it. “Yeah, no shit,” she said bitterly. “I’ve been trying for weeks to get to his phone, his email-- nothing. I know he’s being a dirtbag, but I just can’t prove it!”  
  
“Why don’t you just leave him?”  
  
“What?” Joan muttered, slurping vehemently on her milk.  
  
“Just-- break up,” Sherlock muttered, looking down at his notepad.  
  
“I thought about it,” Joan said and put her milk down. “But then I realized I wanted to ruin him for doing this and then break up with him. Like, catch him red-handed or something, I don’t know. You mind if I eat?”  
  
“Eat?”  
  
“Yeah, eat my lunch.” Joan motioned at her bagged lunch.  
  
“Oh. No. I don’t mind.”  
  
Joan tore open her bag and was halfway in the middle of her sandwich before she realized Sherlock was staring. “Whuf iszit?”  
  
“Your housekeeper made that lunch, yes? Upper West Side, your mother is a doctor, your father a Wall Street investor, they wouldn’t have the time to hand pack you a lunch. Judging by the note she left on the napkin, you two are close. She raised you since you were little? And yet you’re in a public school, when you could be attending one of the prestigious private schools in the city. You weren’t kicked out, you don’t seem to be the type, besides the fact that your transcripts are clean-- when you check your phone there are dozens of texts from your mother but you hardly ever answer them. Distance, right? You’re probably the one who insisted on attending public school-- and yet you’re taking AP Biology and Organic Chemistry...You hate how your mother is never home, never was there for you at your piano recitals or your birthday parties but you think that by secretly taking these classes, she’ll finally notice you.”  
  
Joan stopped chewing on her sandwich and tried to swallow, but there was a hard lump in her throat. “How did you--”  
  
Sherlock smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “This is what you pay me to do, isn’t it, Watson?”

\---

itsjoanie: wut do you know about SH???  
carriegrl: idk who noes anything about him?? he’s SH, hes just there  
itsjoanie: YEAH but seriously? anything?  
carriegrl: hes british  
itsjoanie: carrie don’t do this to me  
carriegrl: transferred here mid freshman year  
carriegrl: dad’s some rich bitch from england or s/t idk  
carriegrl: they said he got kicked out from the international school for getting high  
itsjoanie: on what, pot?  
carriegrl: word is, might be heroin or coke  
carriegrl: like hard shit  
itsjoanie: wut was he like when he hepled you??  
carriegrl: r00d  
carriegrl: and he ripped me off too charged WAY mor than he should have  
itsjoanie: did he do that thing wehre  
carreigrl: he told ur lifestory just by looking at u>??  
itsjoanie: YEAH  
carriegrl: idk man maybe its cuz hes always high or s/t but he knos wut hes doing  
itsjoanie: ok thnx  
carriegrl: y do u need his help neway??  
itsjoanie: i lost s/t need some help findin it  
carriegrl: uh huh yeah ok  
itsjoanie: tell you later gotta go  
  
itsjoanie has signed off

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have nothing to say for myself in defense. HS AUs are my weakness.


End file.
